A diagnostic method for the detection of virus-related neoplastic disease states is described. This method involves employing synthetic nucleotide oligomers hybridized with RNA-type polymers as a template for assaying RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity. RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity has been found to be specifically characteristic of several neoplastic disease states including human leukemia. In a preferred embodiment the instant method employs synthetic thymidylic acid oligomers (d-p...

The present invention involves a method for detecting the unique aberrant gene transcripts of a targeted cellular genomic abnormality in a tissue sample. This method comprises a series of steps. Initially, total cellular RNA or m-RNA is preferred from the tissue sample to be analyzed for the presence of a genomic abnormality. The total cellular RNA or m-RNA is then mixed with at least one synthetic DNA oligonucleotide complementary to the unique RNA sequence of the targeted cellular genomic abno...

A method of analyzing an autoradiograph of plural resolved rows which are formed by resolving base-specific DNA fragments or base-specific RNA fragments labeled with a radioactive element in one-dimensional direction on a support medium, to determine the base sequence of nucleic acids by: (1) electrically displaying the autoradiograph as an image on a screen on the basis of digital signals corresponding to said autoradiograph; (2) displaying a read cursor on the screen; and (3) displaying a name...

In a method for determining a particular polynucleotide sequence in a test medium containing single stranded nucleic acids wherein the sample is subjected to a hybridization reaction with a labeled detection probe having a substantially complementary polynucleotide sequence, and wherein after hybridization the label in said probe is assayed, the improvement wherein the label in said labeled probe comprises a fluorescent nucleotide which is linked by a phosphate ester linkage to said probe. Probe...

A method of detecting a mutation of a specific nucleotide base in a target nucleic acid chain comprises: (a) hybridizing a labelled probe to the target to form a hybrid in which one end of the probe is positioned adjacent the specific base; (b) adding a nucleotide derivative, e.g. a thionucleotide, under conditions to cause it to join to the end of the probe if it is complementary to the specific base; (c) digesting the hybrid using an exonuclease enzyme under conditions such that the nucleotide...

An assay for a genetic marker associated with increased milk production is disclosed. Also disclosed are kits for use in connection with the assay and breeding methods that use the assay. The assay centers on finding a genetic marker in a bovine cell (e.g. in the DNA of the cell). The presence of the marker is confirmed by exposing a gene sequence from the cell to a restriction enzyme so as to yield gene fragments of varying lengths. During a separation step there is a separation of some of the ...

A method is disclosed for processing related subject and reference macromolecule populations composed of complementary strands into their respective subject and reference populations of representative fragments and effectuating purification of unique polymorphic subject fragments.

A method for detecting point mutations or base substitutions in a nucleic acid polymer is especially useful for detecting such mutations in the highest melting domain (HMD) of a double-stranded nucleic acid polymer and is particularly suited for use with RNA. The method involves the steps of: (a) preparing a solution containing a double-stranded nucleic acid polymer comprising a duplex of a single-stranded nucleic acid polymer to be analyzed and a c The invention described and claimed in this ap...

A correlation between gene amplification and tumor promotion is disclosed herein. This correlation allows for a simple cellular assay that indicates whether a substance or process is a tumor promoter. This assay does not depend upon numerous biochemical processes that introduce uncontrolled and unascertained varibles into other cellular assays. This assay can also be used to determine whether a set of cells is abnormally genetically labile and therefore susceptible to cancer or genetic disease.

DNA sequences of hCMV are obtained by restriction of the hCMV genome, the resulting fragments free of fragments cross-hybridizing with human DNA and other viruses may be used for hybridization with clinical samples suspected of containing hCMV to provide a sensitive method for detection of hCMV at low particle number.